1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to washing systems and, more particularly, to a soap and/or water dispensing wand for use in areas such as a sink.
2. Description of Related Art
Hand-held washing devices, such as those used in kitchen areas for cleaning pots, pans, dishes, silverware and the like, have been the subject of considerable design innovation for decades. Such devices are often constructed for attachment to the water discharge line of the sink for facilitating select positioning of discharged water upon the item to be cleaned. In some prior art designs, brushes are assembled with the wand and the water supply line being flexibly attached for facilitating its use. In certain prior art embodiments, a soap dispensing mechanism is also included within the washing device to facilitate the convenient, direct discharge of soap and/or soapy water solutions onto areas in need of cleaning.
The selected discharge of soap into a stream of water used for washing is well established in the prior art. Many of the soap supply systems have even been incorporated directly into washing systems. Such a design facilitates ease and use of the washing device and expedites the washing process for the user. One such prior art device is set forth and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,767 which issued on Sep. 21, 1954. This patent entitled "Dishwasher Device" teaches a tubular handle assembly forming an elongated soap receptacle and a throat portion extending from one end of the soap receptacle, into which soap may be discharged, in conjunction with the flow of water therethrough. A piston is used in conjunction therewith for actuation by the hand of the user for pumping soap into the discharge stream.
Pumping of liquid into the discharge stream has not always been acceptable. Some prior art devices include means for drawing soap solution from a reservoir region in order to discharge the soap solution from a handle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,728 is a 1955 patent teaching such a concept. Because of the viscosity of concentrated liquid soap, it has often been more expeditious to provide a system for manually pumping the liquid soap. In this manner, a select amount of soap can be dispensed. It would obviously be more convenient for the user to fill a handle with liquid soap and provide for its automatic discharge from the handle. Some prior art systems have addressed the problem of the soap viscosity by first diluting the soap with water. However, a soap and water solution can compromise the integrity of the soap and can result in other problems and disadvantages, including the consistency of the mixture, the shelf life thereof, the size of the required reservoir, and related issues.
Some prior art systems for addressing the numerous problems of soap and water dispensing apparatus of this variety include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,371,370, 2,103,957 and 2,855,619. Each of these patents teach methods of and apparatus for mixing soap and water for selective dispensing. No single reference provides, however, a design that overcomes all of the problems of the prior art in the most cost effective manner.
It would be an advantage therefore to provide a reliable soap and water dispensing system which is economical to fabricate, easy to actuate and adapted for use with concentrated liquid soap in an undiluted capacity. It would also be an advantage to provide such a system without the need to manually pump said soap into said discharge stream. The present invention overcomes the problem of the prior art by providing an in-line liquid discharge system specifically adapted for, and capable of, reliable use with concentrated liquid washing soap for the automatic dispensing thereof directly into a discharge stream for the washing of an item. The present invention utilizes the Venturi principle, and it utilizes a means for carefully metering the discharge of liquid soap in a fashion that provides increased reliability for the user.